Key Concepts

Foundational ideas and terminology behind how 42’s event-futures markets work.

Asset Launchpad

42’s underlying market architecture powering event futures. Instead of matching traders or quoting fixed odds, the protocol issues fully transferable Outcome Tokens directly through a shared pricing function, with prices evolving continuously as capital flows in or out of the market.

All outcomes are priced together via it’s power curve formula, ensuring prices reflect aggregate positioning. At resolution, the market settles collectively where all collateral is pooled and redistributed pro-rata to holders of the winning outcome token(s), with payouts determined by relative participation over time.

Payouts & Odds

A payout represents the economic claim on the collateral pool that emerges when a market resolves. Payouts are shaped by how capital accumulates across outcomes over time and are finalized only at resolution.

In traditional prediction markets, odds are predetermined and locked in at the moment of entry, which translates to a capped upfront regardless of how the market evolves.

For example, buying a YES token at $0.50 on Polymarket fixes your payoff at a strict $1 redemption, implying a 2x maximum upside.

On 42 markets, the potential payout on each outcome is infinite. Payouts are determined by relative participation at resolution primarily determined by when you entered, the relative strength of your conviction, and how the market evolved after.

Open-Ended Upside

Unlike fixed-odds markets capped at a ‘$1 payout’, 42 enables open-ended upside where returns scale with the market size alongside with relative outcome token dynamics. Profit potential increases with early entry, shifts in flow toward other outcomes, and late-stage conviction from new participants.

Because payouts are not fixed and instead derive from the total collateral and distribution of positions at resolution, the final return is determined entirely by the market state at settlement, not a predefined ceiling. This introduces meaningful convexity and rewards users who enter early, position accurately, or time their participation effectively.

Outcome Tokens

Outcome tokens represent positions on specific market outcomes and are minted when users enter the market by backing an outcome through the bonding curve. These tokens can be redeemed at any time before resolution using the power curve and redeem tax mechanics, allowing users to exit or reposition freely. After the oracle resolves the market, all winning outcome tokens become claimable for the underlying collateral, while losing tokens expire worthless. This design makes outcome tokens fully transferable, liquid assets with deterministic resolution rules.

For more information, refer to Outcome Tokens Section.

Market Resolution

Resolution occurs when the oracle provides the final verified result for the event. At this point, the protocol identifies the winning outcome, freezes mint/redeem functions, and enables holders of the winning outcome tokens to claim their share of the total collateral pool.

Payouts are proportional to the number of winning tokens held relative to the total winning supply. The result is a transparent, deterministic settlement process that ensures fair distribution of the market’s accumulated value.

For more information, refer to Post-Resolution Section.